this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Just made myself a new skirt, even the sewing pattern came without pockets. I put massive ones in anyway.
Is it feasible and somewhat worth it to make your own clothes? It sounds like mass-produced ones would be much cheaper, I'm wondering how much it costs to make including manhours
Kinda depends. I'm still relatively beginner so I make a lot of stuff from thrifted fabrics, for example I just made a matching top and skirt from a bedding set that cost me 50p. Obviously it does take time but I enjoy it so don't begrudge time spent, plus I'm getting much faster with more practise!
But it's also the fact that you're learning to make things that actually fit you, and that work for you. So they're not wearing through on parts that are too tight, or being forgotten in the bottom of the wardrobe because you don't feel comfy in them. And if anything does start to fall apart, you've got the skills to repair.
I know a lot of sewists who make themselves very expensive items, but they know what they're doing and are making much better quality clothes than you'd get in a shop so they'll last basically forever.
Fabric can be really expensive, so making stuff from scratch can add up. It’s very thrifty to repair and alter your own clothes, however. Replacing lost buttons or broken zippers, making too-large items fit better, etc.
For really nice stuff, it’s cheaper than buying at the store. I made my wedding dress from scratch and spent maybe $300 and it took maybe 10 days to come together. Most simple garments might take 10-20 hours.
It’s like starting from scratch with every hobby: if you run out and buy the best of the best for every occasion without dipping a toe in, first, you’re going to be deep in the red for a while, if not until you run out of steam.
You can get a T shirt for $5-15 easily, but aside from bigger sizes/mens and womens, there’s not much deliberate variation you’ll see in mass produced stuff, so if you want clothes to really fit you, it helps to learn how to either alter them or make them yourself.
There are plenty of kits you can buy that have sewing patterns ready made. Here is an example. You follow the instructions and the patterns have some leeway in terms of customization. Play around with those and you start to figure out how the changes you make affect the clothing and how it fits.